Duke (RAH)
:Duke is a G.I. Joe character in the A Real American Hero and G.I. Joe vs. Cobra series. When Duke is in command, he bellows his orders like that of a seasoned general. The troops follow him without question. He is capable of assessing situations and come up with quick solutions. Even high-ranking officers who know him well respect him and would even listen to his orders. And to think that he is only an enlisted man is to underestimate him. Duke graduated with top honors at Fort Benning's Airborne School. He joined US Special Forces and saw action in Southeast Asia. Some time later, he was transferred to the G.I. Joe Team. Duke turned down an officer's position in that he does not believe an officer's job is to let others take the risks and then take the blame in the event of a catastrophe. Fiction Comics A Real American Hero continuity Marvel Comics continuity Duke came in at a time when the Joe Team is at their lowest point. The Pit is destroyed and their commander, General Flagg is dead. He took over field duties and brought the team a major victory over Cobra: The capture of Cobra Commander. Devil's Due Comics continuity After the disbandment, Duke went to take on black ops assignments for a secret government agency for a few years. It was during one of his missions that he discovered COBRA's attempt to make a comeback. He helped rally the effort to have G.I. Joe reinstated. By this time, Duke had a different edge to him, taking more risks and sometimes putting teammates in danger. But when Hawk was incapacitated in a Cobra assassination attempt, Duke took up his injured mentor's causes, fighting the corrupt Jugglers while holding the team together in the wake of the loss of their leader. G.I. Joe vs. Transformers Write up Action Force (British) Comics continuity Duke performed well enough as a member of the US Airborne Rangers to be offered an officers commission. Duke turned down the promotion when Major Flagg offered him a Top-Sergeant position in Action Force to fight the new enemy Cobra. Blackthorne Comics continuity Write up Dreamwave Comics continuity Write up Hasbro Comics continuity Write up Animated continuity Sunbow animated series .]] Duke was overseeing the testing of the new Skystriker jets when Cobra assaulted Joe HQ. After a brief dogfight that saw Cobra retreat but not before laying waste to much of the Joes' fighters, Duke orders his men on full alert. Later, General Flagg had Duke have his men test the security of a military installation housing a spy satellite. Duke was caught in the energy wave of the MASS Device when Cobra teleported in the base to steal the satellite. He is soon a prisoner forced to take part in Cobra Commander's Arena of Sport where he faces off with a giant. Initially getting beat by the giant, Duke regains his will during a brief spat with between Cobra Commander and Destro. He is aided by the slave girl, Selina, and gives him a gold strip that he uses to short the headband's control over him. After a spectacular escape, Duke makes his way back to civilization and to G.I. Joe HQ. However, the trauma, fatigue and effect of the headband causes him to be unable to remember where Cobra's main base is located. What little he can remember is only Selina. Despite that, there is no apparent mental effect on him and Doc declares he is fit to return to duty. He personally leads the mission to obtain heavy water from one of the world's deepest trenches. DiC animated series Write up Toys * A Real American Hero (1983) :Duke is originally available as a mail-in offer in 1983. The figure was carded and sold for mass public in 1984. :Original 1983 file card * Tiger Force (1988) :1988 file card * The Incredible Shrinking Joes (1988) * 12" Target Exclusive (1992) * A Real American Hero (1992) * Star Brigade (1993) * RAH 25th Anniversary - Senior Ranking Officers (2008) :This Toys "Я" Us exclusive featured the new architecture used for the 25th Anniversary line. The Senior Ranking Officers included Duke, G.I. Joe Hawk and Grunt. :2008 Ranking Officers file card from YoJoe.com Merchandise * Duke mini-bust Trivia Conrad is a natural artist. [http://www.yojoe.com/comics/elite/elite27.shtml, G.I. Joe America's Elite #27] External links * My Useless Knowledge biography Footnotes Category:G.I. Joe Team Category:Tiger Force Category:Star Brigade Category:Armor Tech Category:A Real American Hero characters Category:Real American Hero Collection Category:G.I. Joe vs. Cobra characters Category:Spy Troops characters Category:Night Force Category:Valor vs. Venom characters Category:RAH 25th Anniversary characters